Kiteworks expands into Japan with WAMNET acquisition

Kiteworks has acquired WAMNET Japan K.K., giving the company its first direct presence in Japan and adding more than 500 enterprise customers to its business. This is Kiteworks’ seventh acquisition in less than five years and expands its reach into a market where data sovereignty, privacy and regulatory requirements play a large role in enterprise technology decisions.

WAMNET Japan providing secure file transfer and enterprise file-sharing services in the country. Its GigaCC suite and DIRECT! EXTREME products will continue to be sold and supported, with existing contracts, pricing and support arrangements staying in place. Customer data will also remain hosted in Japan. Kiteworks plans to give those customers a path to move onto its broader platform over time, including its Data Policy Engine, secure file transfer, managed file transfer, email protection and collaboration capabilities.

The acquisition also gives Kiteworks a local customer base for its newer AI governance and compliance tools. Its Compliant AI and Secure MCP Server are designed to control how AI agents access and exchange sensitive data, with authentication, policy enforcement, encryption and audit logging applied before data moves. Kiteworks also plans to pursue Japan’s ISMAP government cloud security registration in 2027, which could expand its ability to sell into government agencies and regulated organizations.

For Kiteworks, the WAMNET deal adds both customers and local infrastructure as it expands outside its existing markets. Keeping WAMNET’s products and data hosting in place should limit disruption for current customers while Kiteworks localizes its own platform for Japan. The longer-term opportunity will depend on how many of those organizations move onto the broader Kiteworks platform and whether its AI governance and compliance capabilities help it expand beyond WAMNET’s existing secure file-transfer business.